Homeschool Friday - The Storm that Stopped

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Storm That Stopped

By: Alison Mitchell

Illustrated By: Catalina Echeverri

Publication: February 1, 2016 by The Good Book Company

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Non-fiction, Christian, History, Picture Book

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Third in the 'Tales that Tell the Truth' series comes The Storm that Stopped!

Based on the account of Jesus calming the storm from Mark chapter 4, this dramatic storybook will teach children about who Jesus really is, as they witness his power over nature.

Stunningly illustrated by Catalina Echeverri, author and illustrator of several bestselling children's books as well as the first two storybooks from the 'Tales that Tell the Truth' series: The Christmas Promise and The One O'Clock Miracle.

Written by Alison Mitchell, author of The Christmas Promise and several of our children's tracts.

The Storm that Stopped covers the New Testament story of when Jesus calmed the storm while in a boat on the Sea of Galilee. The story starts with Jesus teaching a multitude of people all day, and then he decides to go with his apostles across the sea. He fell asleep in the boat on the way, and suddenly a storm arose. The wind and the waves are so big and strong that the boat is taking on water, and the apostles fear they are going to drown. Jesus sleeps through this all until they wake him.

I appreciated the illustrations included. The beauty of contrast from the light pages to the darker, stormy pages was jarring in the perfect way. I liked the page with the wind o'meter, wave o'meter, sink o'meter, and panic o'meter. My children thought those were particularly funny.

I also liked that when Jesus calms the sea, the book focuses on what he doesn't do. He doesn't help bail the water out of the boat, he doesn't help row, he speaks, but not to the apostles. He speaks to the wind and the waves.

The book (as well as the Biblical story) then focuses on who Jesus is that he could possibly have control over the wind and the waves. He was teaching His disciples that He is God. Like Jesus and the Lions' Den, this book includes a "how do we know about the storm that stopped" section at the end. I love that they include this.

The Storm that Stopped is about as good as a children's picture book can get for me. The illustrations are striking. There's a little humor. The content is Biblical, which I appreciate. And the teaching goes beyond the surface. The Storm that Stopped is a great addition to any home library. The Storm that Stopped gets 5 Stars. Have you or your child read The Storm that Stopped? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Courageous World Changers

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

Courageous World Changers: 50 True Stories of Daring Women of God

By: Shirley Raye Redmond

Publication: January 7, 2020 by Harvest Kids

112 pages

Genre: Children's, Biography, Non-fiction, Christian, History

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--WINNER OF CHRISTIANITY TODAY'S 2021 BOOK AWARD FOR CHILDREN & YOUTH

Women of Fearless Faith

Meet women who have used their God-given talents to live out their faith to the fullest. They come from a variety of backgrounds, eras, and ethnicities, but each one has answered the Lord’s call on their life in bold and innovative ways.

Children of all ages will be inspired by the stories of These and the 45 other female spiritual role models featured in this book have made a profound impact on the world around them, and in many cases changed the course of history. Strong, smart, and sometimes outspoken, these women are tremendous examples of God’s love in action.

These inspiring profiles will captivate kids’ imaginations and encourage them to discover their own gifts and how they can use them to glorify God.

Courageous World Changers showcases 50 women throughout history (some still alive today) who have done amazing things in their lives, careers, missions, and the world for Christ. I liked that this list included historical figures that are quite well-known--a few of these people we've recently studied in school. But I also appreciate modern-day people still alive were featured because it reminds us that you don't have to be dead to be great. Or you might have the misconception that these important people only lived in the past. These stories remind us that anyone can be a world-changer.

Each person has a bio description of their past and their deeds for Christ and an illustrated portrait. I do wish for a photograph versus illustrations because that would have added to the idea that these were/are real people. But, some of these people may never have been photographed.

I don't remember needing to edit any theology, but I can't remember. I do have the most recently release: Courageous and Bold Bible Heroes: 50 True Stories of Daring Men and Women of God that we will read at the start of the next school year beginning in the fall.

Courageous World Changers is a great book to provide a summary of the lives of women who, throughout history, have made a big difference for Christ all over the world. This book will help inspire many that it's possible to make a difference for Christ today. Courageous World Changers gets 5 Stars. Have you read Courageous World Changers? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Lewis and Clark Go West

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

Lewis and Clark Go West

By: McKay Pierce

Illustrated By: Kateryna Rohotova

Publication: January 1, 2022 by The Good and the Beautiful, LLC

47 pages

Genre: Children, Picture Book, Christian, Level-1

Source: Own/Personal Library

( Goodreads )

Goodreads description--Have you ever heard of Lewis and Clark? Long ago, they took a trip to see the land, animals, and people in the West. Look inside to learn more about what they saw and who they met!

Most of the Level-1 readers we have are from publishers like Random House and Scholastics. But we use a homeschool curriculum company called The Good and the Beautiful for a lot of our curriculum. The Good and the Beautiful has its own books written by several authors. Jenny Phillips, the company's creator, writes many of the books herself. And the company emphasizes good and beautiful literature that has strong moral values. I cannot appreciate this more. Most of the "normal" level-1 reader books are about 32 pages long with one or two short sentences per page or opening. Lewis and Clark Go West is a little longer with 47 pages and usually, one or two sentences per opening.

Lewis and Clark Go West begins with a challenging words page that includes 9 words used in the book that might be a little beyond the child's reading level, but I like that this is included at the beginning of the book so that you can go over these words with your child before they come to them in the book. This way maybe they will already recognize the words and be able to read them from memory already. Or if they get to one of these words while reading and can't sound it out phonetically or remember it, they will at least not be surprised and feel discouraged for not being able to read a challenging word.

Lewis and Clark Go West is exactly what you would think it is--a level-1 version of the events of Merriwether Lewis and William Clark's journey west to map the country and claim the territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean for America. The book talks about Sacagawea and her help as some things they saw along the way.

Lewis and Clark Go West is a 5-Star level-1 book. (The Good and the Beautiful technically rates this book as a level 1A.) The morals and messages often included in the books by The Good and the Beautiful weren't as present. But what makes this book a 5 Star book is the brief bits of history a child can get. Level-1 readers don't always have be entertaining only. We need more companies that focus on making quality content for young kids. Have you or your child read Lewis and Clark Go West? What did you think? Let me know!

*Note: Lewis and Clark Go West is no longer available for purchase through The Good and the Beautiful's website.

Homeschool Friday - Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders: 50 True Stories of Daring Men of God

By: Shirley Raye Redmond

Publication: October 6, 2020 by Harvest Kids

112 pages

Genre: Children's, Biography, Non-fiction, Christian, History

Source: Personal Library

( Goodreads | Amazon )

*Note: The above link to Amazon is an affiliate links. Affiliate links support giveaways for Somewhere Only We Know readers.

Goodreads description--Men of Fearless Faith

Meet men who have used their God-given talents to live out their faith to the fullest. They come from a variety of backgrounds, eras, and ethnicities, but each one has answered the Lord’s call on their life in bold and innovative ways.

Children of all ages will be inspired by the stories of These and the 45 other defenders of the faith featured in this book have made a profound impact on the world around them, and in many cases changed the course of history. Strong, smart, and sometimes outspoken, these men are tremendous examples of God’s love in action.

These inspiring profiles will captivate kids’ imaginations and encourage them to discover their own gifts and how they can use them to glorify God.

Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders showcases 50 men throughout history (some still alive today) who have done amazing things in their lives, careers, missions, and the world for Christ. I liked that this list included historical figures that are quite well-known--a few of these people we studied about over this past school year. But I also liked that modern-day people still alive were featured as well because it reminds us all that you don't have to be dead to have been great. Or you might have the misconception that these things don't happen today. These stories remind us that anyone can be a hero. 

Each person has a bio description of their past and their deeds for Christ and an illustrated portrait. I do wish for a photograph versus illustrations because I think that would have added to the idea that these were/are real people. But I suppose photographs would have been more difficult to achieve a unified look for the overall book aesthetic. Also, some of these people may never have been photographed. 

I don't remember needing to edit any theology, but I really can't remember. We did finish this book months before writing this review. I only thought to review it after picking up the female version, Courageous World Changers. 

Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders is a great book to provide a summary of the lives of men who throughout history have made big differences for Christ all over the world. This book will help inspire many that it's possible to make a difference for Christ today. Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders gets 5 Stars. Have you read Brave Heroes and Bold Defenders? What did you think? Let me know!